Myth 2:  Fighting Destiny and Looking Good

It was five in the morning and there was a shadow running through the forest. He started to climb and jump from tree to tree. Myung-ki felt comfortable in nature. He grew up in the mountains and it was second nature to him. He could move through the trees without any fear of falling thanks to his training. He thought this was primarily ninjutsu training but it is very similar to parkour. The ability to move around with speed and precision even if the jump was over ten feet long he would still be able to do it. With muscles so well trained he can easily enter the summer Olympics and get some gold medals if he wanted too but he did not know what the Olympics were. He devoted most of his life to reading and training. 

Once a year he would be entertaining his step siblings and played games. Other than that he had no other reason to live. He did not have any goals or any friends to talk to. He was a loner and now he was living in a country that excelled in manufactured goods and technology. After finishing his morning routine he went back to his house and took a shower. After his shower he changed into his funeral suit once more. He didn't really have that many clothes. All he had was changes of underwear, the suit he was wearing, and his training gi that he wore that morning.

As he walked into the kitchen his new mother frowned at him. “Why are you wearing that suit you wore yesterday! Go change!” She exclaimed.

“I don't have any other clothing.” Myung-Ki replied.

“WHAT?!” the facial expression on Juhee's face was hard to describe, “You're telling me you only have that suit and what you wore when you came back home this morning?!”

“I changed my underwear at least.” He replied with a frown. It isn't something he was use to. He would normally bathe and wash his clothes as well underneath a waterfall in Japan. He didn't understand the need to have more than the clothes he was wearing.

“Aigoo... this boy. 18 years old and already giving me a headache.” Juhee sighed. “After breakfast we are going to the mall and getting you more than one set of clothing. Your lucky my work is very lenient with hours right now. I'll call them and let them know that I will be in later.”

Curious Myung-Ki inquired, “Where do you work?”

“I work as an editor for a broadcasting company called Korea Gaming Communications. We do mostly gaming videos and interviews with people who play popular games.” His aunt answered him. “I'll get you involved in the game I’m playing. Hopefully you’ll make some friends this way.”

She worried about the boy. He didn't seem to be  sociable and probably would be hard for him to make any friends.

‘A job that involves games?...’

 Myung-ki wanted to ask more but was interrupted by a yawning old man.

“Morning my beautiful daughter and my handsome grandson.” Myung-Dae smiled toothily before continuing, “Why were you so loud this morning?” He asked.

His daughter replied, “Your grandson only has two outfits he wears. Not even house clothes.”

“So?” Myung-Dae responded. He was in the lazy faction and he only changed his clothes if needed to.

“Aigoo... this family. I'm not going to let him grow up like you.” She sighed as the response of her father did not help her at all. “He's not a writer like you. He is still young and he should enjoy his youth. But I will not let him go out there in the same suit day after day. He has to have more dignity than that. He is the son of a model and the nephew of a classy business women. His looks must match our expectations.”

“That's wrong with you kids these days. Always caring about your looks.” Myung-Dae sighed, “I like how he thinks. A suit for events and training gear for exercise. All you need. We don't need too much material things to live right grandson?!” He winked at Myung-Ki.

Myung-Ki only smiled and shook his head before replying, “I need to make eomma happy. I will listen to her.” Although he didn't care for clothing he wanted her to smile more as he thought she was pretty like that.

Juhee almost fainted a second time after hearing his comment while bringing the western style breakfast to the table. She was a really good cook and her occupation in Fighting Destiny was also a chef. She was elated every time she heard him call her mother. 'Eun Mi, I'm living out your dream. I'll love him as my own and make sure he grows up well.' As she thought of that she then said, “Hurry up and eat so I can take you to the mall.”

After they all ate breakfast Myung-ki and Juhee drove to the mall. As they pass by the lot instead of a for sale sign it had sold written on it. Myung-Ki could only look in surprise on how fast his grandfather acted. He did not only see a sign but workers already digging up the land to set up the foundation of his soon to be home.

Arriving at the mall he saw more signs and advertisements for various games  but not as profound as the Fighting Destiny Online game. He found out it was a very popular virtual reality game played by many people regardless of age. He was going to ask more about it but he had no time to bring it up as his aunt dragged him from store to store. He was getting measured by a tailor in order him to make suits for him. He did not know that the cost of each suit would make a certain people curse him for being frivolous with money. As he was trying different suits he always had a chill on his back as his senses informed him of predatory looks being directed at him. Looking at his aunt she would smile proudly as women of various ages would gather and stare at him either from inside the store or from the glass looking in. This was not a feeling he liked. Again with his lack of female interactions he did not understand their looks. He did not know he was considered handsome at all. The clothing his aunt was choosing for him accentuated his looks even more. He easily looked like a Korean pop singer or actor..

No one dared approach as they saw his aunt. Although she was happy with the attention that he was getting she was not going to let just anyone try to talk to her son. She was in total mom mode as the total costs of the purchases could easily buy a house. But Juhee did not relent on the purchases and actually thought they did not buy enough. In total he had eight different suits made for him, about twenty casual outfits that can be mixed and matched, and some clothes he can use for sleeping like pajama pants and shorts. After she was finished with clothes shopping, she then moved over to the accessories and bought him various wallets, sunglasses and hats. Then she bought electric toothbrush and other bathroom needs for a young man like hair products and the like.

Myung-Ki was extremely tired. He felt that this was more tiring than actual ninjutsu training. With all the stares of the various females and some males he made a mental note not to go into malls unless he really needed to. It was just too crowded for him. It didn't feel natural nor did he feel safe at all. He sighed in relief when they had to cut their shopping short as his aunt had to get to work. So she drove him back home before heading to work. He sighed and went to his bed wanting a nap after all that happened that morning. He opened one of his books and started to read.

***

“Fighting Destiny Online has been at the top of the virtual reality scene for gamers and most games cannot compare to it. Why would you say that is?” A reporter asked the question to the man on the stage.

“Fighting Destiny Online, as the name implies, is a gateway for people who do not love the fate they were born with. If one was weak in reality they can be strong in FDO, if they lacked money thanks to our auction system they can get money in return for playing a game, martial artists are able to fight without the risk of injury to themselves, and most importantly,” The man’s face gave a gentle look before continuing, “With our new medical capsules, those who are being treated for illnesses and cannot move their real bodies are now able to experience a life they can only dream about. In the sense this is a game meant to fight the destiny you were born with.”

“Mr. Kang Lee, rumors said you created this game primarily for your wife?” Another reporter asked.

“Of course. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t find a way for my disabled wife to be free of her burdens? In this game I am able to hold her and she is able to do the same. The only added bonus is I can make a profit as a capsule is not cheap but it is a lifetime investment if used properly.” Kang Lee reiterated. He was still a businessman of course.

“Is there any point of this game for players to obtain a goal or defeat a demon lord?” Another question from a female reporter.

“The answer to that question is quite simple. There is no point to this game. If you are looking for adventure travel the game’s world, if you are looking to be a hero help those around you, if you are looking to be a villain then harm those around you, if you are looking for fame and glory do something no one else had, and if you are looking to rule then you must earn it. The game is all about freedom. Unlike the reality that we live in there are things in the world I created that can be changed for the better. Players can grow at the pace they want to. Those seeking fame will obviously push harder to conquer the world. Those who want strength will need to work hard to obtain it. Of course limits are in place that are made by the AI that runs the game but to better understand those limits I would suggest everyone here to also get this game and join in. That’s enough questions for me today, I’m going to login and be with my wife. We are having a date. Hahahaaha!” Kang Lee ended the answer with a laugh. He was genuinely happy and decided to walk off the stage.

“The man who created this game seems to be a good man.” Myung-Dae said aloud.

“What do you mean by good man?” Myung-Ki asked.

“Well you’ll understand when you find a woman you will care about as much as he does.” Myung-Dai smiled at  the young man. 

“I still don’t understand but whatever you say honoured…” Myung-Ki didn’t even get to finish before getting whacked in the head. “Itai! I mean grandfather.”

‘How can he hit me so quickly? I couldn’t even sense that.’

“Now stop talking and lets continue to watch your eomma’s work. She said she does a lot of the video editing for the game footage.” Myung-Dai stated.

“This game looks interesting.” Was the last comment Myung-Ki made as they watched KGC. 

***

After a few weeks Myung-Dae got a call from the construction company he hired to work on the house. He informed them if they can finish before the months end he would be giving them a twenty percent increase of the payment he originally assigned for building the home. With that type of incentive the workers worked hard but made sure not to cut any corners as they did not want to lose any reputation with this man. His famous writings were well known in the region and no one dared fault this man in any way.

“Myung-Ki, Juhee.” Myung-Dae called his family over, “They finished the house. Let me show you it.” He excitedly informed the two of them.

Getting into a car they drove to a home they have not dreamed about having. It was a two story home with a modern feel to it. Entering the home they walk into a foyer which then lead to the living room which was completely furnished. The kitchen in the next room had an island in the middle and pans hanging from the ceiling. The gas stove and oven was in the middle of the island. The back door led to a large yard and an open aired shed showed a kiln for smelting metal and heating metal as well. Also a grinder and other tools that can be used for general metal work.

Myung-Ki smiled as he saw that they got everything he needed and even set up so that it was open air concept so that the smoke would vent out properly. It was also put into a position that would prevent any stray fire to land on any of the surrounding homes. Now that he thought about it it looked as if his grandfather bought the other homes that were originally there and had them removed as this home was much larger than expected.

Continuing on the tour the older man brought them back inside and showed the two bedrooms upstairs and then brought them back downstairs leading them to the basement.

“I'm proud of this! This Myung-Ki is your room. I will be taking one of the bedrooms upstairs!” His grandfather couldn't control his volume and excitement as he spoke.

“Wait grandfather. How about your other house?” Myung-Ki asked.

“That old place. It’s more fun with more people. That will be our cabin in the woods and a good place for you to go if you get too tired from training.” Myung-Dae answered with a smile.

Myung-Ki opened the basement door and noticed that the wall was lined with sound proof lining. He walked down the stairs and found a large open area where can practice and exercise. Some weights in the corner of the room and a computer on the other side as well. He continued to walk further and opened another door on the far right and he found a large room with ample of enough space for all his books and he found out that it was the library. It had a lounge area for him to read in. He then entered another spacious room but in the middle of the room he saw two capsule looking devices. These were the capsules his adopted mother was talking about. They were used for playing the game Fighting Destiny Online.

His curiosity itching at him to try it out. He looked at his mother but she just smiled in return.

“First we need to get our things together then we can go and try it. Abeoji wants to have a good lunch as well so go and grab your things and start setting up your room. The capsules will be there when you’re done.” Juhee replied to her son’s stare.

As they finished unpacking and had an enjoyable lunch together Juhee brought Myung-Ki to the room once more with the capsules. Seeing as he was hesitant to jump into it due it being completely foreign for him she decided to give him some pointers.

“Myung-Ki. This machine will link itself to the neural responses and make it feel like you are actually in the game. The nice thing that it does it also measures your bodily impulses. If it feels that you need a bathroom break it will inform you and log you out. Also it puts you in a state of sleep when you enter so sometimes I don’t need to sleep as long as I play this game. Your body will feel refreshed once you leave.” She started to explain.

Myung-Ki looked at her as if she was speaking another language. 

“Ah well basically. Your body will be resting while you play the game so when you finish training you can go into this game to rest. It allows people to do something even when they are asleep. Also it makes sure you don’t accidentally soil yourself as it forces you to go to the bathroom. Does that make sense?” She simplified her explanation a bit.

“It can do that?” Myung-Ki looked at the device with amazement. “So this thing is really expensive. So throwing kunai at this would be bad.”

“Throwing kunai? What is a kunai?” Juhee asked.

“This.” Myung-Ki took out a kunai he always hides on his person. 

“WHERE WERE YOU HIDING THAT! Ahem.” Juhee shocked to see her son with a weapon scolded him, “You are not allowed to throw that or any other sharp objects inside the house. Also not allowed to hit people with that. Now give it to me as you will not need it in there.”

“So I should give you all my weapons right?” Myung-Ki was not used to being scolded for having weapons so he decided to ask that question.

“How many do you have? Actually don’t answer that. Come back in here after you put them all in your room.” Juhee starting to feel a headache coming around. 

After hiding his weapons he felt considerably lighter and Myung-Ki came back to the room.

“Alright now it’s time for you to get into this device. Don’t be scared. Once in make sure to go to the tutorial it provides. It will guide you throughout the process. Once it asks where you want to start, choose Four Swords City. My avatar name is Cooking Queen so when you get there wait until I find you. What are you planning to name yourself?” Juhee asked.

“Akaro. I want that name for my avatar.” Myung-Ki quickly said.

‘I see he still wants to be called that. That is fine he has lived with that name for eighteen years and it’s not his fault his father is good for nothing sister killing bastard.’

Juhee’s face contorted into a frown for a brief moment before relaxing again. “Alright then I will look for you at the town center. Head there after.”

Myung-Ki finally entered the machine and watched as his newly appointed mother gave him a reassuring nod. He then watched as the lid closed and a screen opened up in his eyes.

A gentle female voice also chimed as soon as the lid closed. “Good afternoon. I am the game artificial intelligence assistant or Gaia for short. Records indicate that this is your first time entering a capsule. Would you like us to register your information?”

“Yes.” Myung-Ki automatically answered.

“Please provide the following information. Full name, Age, and an email address to link to this account.” Gaia continued the registry.

“Nu Myung-Ki. Age 18.” He quickly answered but had to ponder on the email address.

‘What did Kenji say it was… ah I remember now.’

Although having photographic memory it still helped if there was a trigger to that memory. He needed to think of  Kenji in order for him to recall all the memories revolving him.

“[email protected].” Myung-Ki finished the last part of his registry.

“One moment. Registration complete. Please close your eyes and the system will now link with your body.” Gaia instructed.

The moment he closed his eyes he could see some flashes of light bright enough so he he can see a bit through his eyelids. It didn’t take long until his body felt heavy and he started to fall asleep.

The moment he did he felt that he woke up in the dark. Suddenly in front of his eyes a message popped up.

Welcome to Fighting Destiny Online Did you want to see the introduction video? YesNo

“Yes.” Myung-Ki continued. It was kind of strange for him to respond. It really felt that he was awake and he was moving his own body, even speaking felt natural. 

Immediately after he said yes the screen disappeared and now he was viewing a video from a first person perspective.

As he looked around he then heard the narrator speak in a subdued but yet gentle voice. It was a female voice.

“The origin of our world began when it was created by Alphala, the Goddess of Beginnings. She created a world with an immortal beauty. She wanted to share this beauty with her love the God of Endings, Ohmega. As he was the one who ends all, her creations began to lose their beauty. He told her if she wanted him to be around then her world will experience an end as well. Being a stubborn Goddess and not wanting her love one to leave her, she decided she would give up her world’s immortality as long as she can keep him close. Instead she used her power to have any of her creations gain the ability to produce so that the beauty may grow once more.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Out of their love they gave birth to seven other Gods and Goddesses. The two oldest were twins. One was the god of the sun, the other the goddess of the moon. Each other child also had dominion over parts of their mother’s creation. This consist of the sea, land, sky, light and the last of darkness. They’re children curious of their power created many living things and they lived in harmony in their mother’s world.”

Myung-Ki watched as the scene in front of him as it didn’t really show much other than statues of the gods they were explaining until it got to the creations. Various creatures started appearing and one of them being humans and other humanoid creatures. He watched in amazement as the scene was now showing everything in peace and harmony. Until it showed the last of the Goddesses.

“This was true to all of their children but their last child. Calypso the Goddess of darkness was not able to create anything with her own power. Feeling jealous at her siblings being able to create living beings she coveted that power. However she found she had other ways of creating species of her own. She was able to convert her siblings creatures. Some of the conversions did not work which then created beings with darker personalities and or they would turn into monsters.”

The scene then showed some of the original creatures transforming or faces started to show grim expressions. 

“Her siblings reacted to what she had done negatively and continuously chastised her. This bore hatred in her heart and she decided to share these feelings with all the creations in this world. This bore evil intent, hatred, greed, and other negative aspects. 

Their parents seeing this felt it was needed to punish her but they still loved her as their child so they sealed her away so she could not affect the world anymore. Although the feelings she shared were originally on the darker ends of the spectrum, it also gave these creations the free will of choice. These choices also gave consequences and many wars erupted between the creations. 

Desperate the other gods and goddesses decided if they unleash into the world as a being of pure evil their creations will start to work together. So they planned and waited until the time was right. They then brought back their sister into the world once more but this time as a mortal being.

Her immortality stripped from her, Calypso was enraged. She went on a massacre and destroyed any creation in front of her, including the ones that were changed by her. With the world falling into darkness, the creatures began to band together. 

Beings who were known as the Hero Gods began to appear. Blessed by a corresponding celestial being with both magic and weapons they were able to slay the Goddess and brought peace into the world.”

The scenes he saw were various humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs waving a united banner and battling Calypso with weapons that glowed as bright as the Sun. The darkness that was creeping onto the world was being pushed back.

Calypso’s fall was the last scene as the six other Gods and Goddesses smiled as they were able to keep their creations from fighting. Then it moved to Ohmega sitting on his dark throne guiding the souls that have died.

“Ohmega being the Elder God of the end saw his daughter in his domain and was struck with grief. He wept as he brought his daughter’s soul to her mother. Alphala wept and looked at her other children and cried out in disbelief. For their love of their own creations she saw that her children were willing to sacrifice their own sister. The two Elder Gods punished them by also removing them from accessing the world unless called upon by their creations. They then allowed Calypso’s soul to return with all the other souls ready to be reincarnated into the world. They waited until the day she will be reincarnated so they can get their child back. They are still waiting.”

‘Such a sad story. I don’t think I’ll ever do something like that to my own siblings. Definitely looking into more of this story.’ 

“1700 years later the world had now continued to thrive without the supervising watch of the Gods but they were not forgotten. Their creations still regard their creators and religion is still a cornerstone of their culture. You will be born into this world of life and death. Where will your destination take you?”

At this point the intro ended and Gaia showed up  in front of Myung Ki. She had short neck length hair and it was a cyan in color. Her eyes were emerald green and for arguments sake she had a very pretty symmetrical face. She wore a tight white coloured outfit that did not hide her curves. If she didn’t introduce herself as a female AI she would have probably been hit on by many players. In hindsight that actually might have happen to her already regardless if she was an AI.

“Thank you for taking your time to learn a bit of our history. Please select which race you want to become?” Her neck lengthed hair seemed to move seemingly with her head movements as she asked the question.

Myung-Ki looked at the options that were available. In total there were about ten known races each with their own attribute. He didn’t need long to choose as he wanted to be human.

“I choose to be human.” Myung-Ki declared.

“Please choose the type.” Gaia started.

“What are the differences?” Myung-Ki had to ask.

“Humans have three different types. The first type are known as Ascended Humans and have increased mana points. Their base stats have increased wisdom and intelligence but have a decrease in vitality and strength. This type of human is made for magic based classes that utilize the mana point the most. The second type are Martial Humans. They have an increase in health points and stamina points and focused in physical combat. They are more proficient with weapons and will be known to seek combat classes focused on strength and vitality. The last are the divine humans. They get a new status bar called faith points. Due to being a spiritual focused trait they automatically begin in a church of their choice. They have increased wisdom and spirit but most of their classes are known for supporting the other type of humans. They have access to restricted abilities that are given to only the followers of a given religion. Restrictions compared to the other two types will be dependent on the religion chosen as rules for the set religion differ from one another. The other two human types can obtain faith points if they choose a religion to follow in game but classes available will be dependent on the type one has chosen. Examples are templars which are combat based religious warriors and can only be obtained by Martial type humans who follow a religion. All human species obtain the ability of adaptability.” Gaia explained.

“Adaptability?” Myung-Ki said slightly confused.

“Different races have abilities specific to their race. Human’s ability of adaptability allow the player to convert to different classes and adjust the stat placement of bonus stats that are given to a set player. This gives them the ability to restructure the stats to best fit the change of classes. Human types can be changed as well depending on the class chosen for their main class. Supporting class will also allow for these changes. An example would be if you chose a martial type of human at the beginning it can change to an ascended human when choosing a mage class. Bases stats will change and any extra stats that were given are free for that user to place into intelligence to increase the potency of their spells.” The AI assistant replied.

Although he was getting a little dizzy at the explanation he thought that there was only one type he needed to choose at the moment as he was pretty sure he was going to get a combat oriented class.

“Martial.” Myung-Ki chose right away after hearing the brief description.

“You are now a human gifted with the abilities for combat.” Gaia explained before continuing. “Please choose your appearance.”

Myung-Ki watched as the screen showed a reflection of him as the default and he wanted it to stay the same. He changed his mind on only two things. 

“Change the hair color to a blood crimson and my eyes to match.” They young man stated. 

He chose red to honour his name and also it reminded him of a hero in the game he played on the super famicom with his brother. 

“What will be your avatar’s name?” Gaia asked with her gentle voice.

“Akaro.” Myung-Ki said almost immediately.

‘I will have my name in this game father. In here my life as Miyamoto Akaro will continue.”

“You can choose your city now or would you like to go through our tutorial to better understand some of the basic game systems?” Gaia asked with a smile.

Normally he would be quiet and observe situations but as he needed to understand this game a bit more he was more inclined to inquire. He did the same with his grandfather as he learned better when he can ask more questions to clarify what he just learned.

“I better go through the tutorial and is it okay for me to ask questions after?” Akaro now walking around in his avatar returned the question.

“Not a problem. As an game assistant I will be happy to answer your question. First let us begin with the three bars that will be important for your to pay attention too. At the top left corner you will see three bars. One consisting with HP, the other MP, and the last SP. We’ll first start with health points and is important to pay attention to as this will determine whether or not your character will die in the game. Getting zero here will cause you to be revived at the same location but after you pay the penalty of a full twenty-four hours login restriction and the loss of half of your experience you gained after your previous level up. Consecutive deaths can also drop your level and the system will start removing bonus stats. ” Gaia began.

‘So don’t hit zero. Got it… make sense that even though we can revive our avatars that dying still has its demerits.’

“Mana points is the second bar. This indicates the amount of mana one has to use skills, spells, and abilities that require mana to use. Mana is very important for those wishing to use high casting magical spells. Even some weapon skills will use mana if needed. The last is Stamina points. This will be used more often than mana for martial humans. This allows you to be able to swing weapons and use weapon related skills more often. It’s regeneration speed is dependent on the player’s hunger and rest level. If you have not eaten or have not rested your stamina will deplete faster and regenerate slower. Both health and mana can regenerate as well but the regeneration speed for those are directly affected by stats. All three can be also affected by certain items and food that can help instantly, over time, or even decrease the level of regeneration.” Gaia continued her explanation.

“So I will need to pay attention to this to make sure I don’t run out. What happens when I run out of MP or SP?” Akaro had to ask for his future reference.

“Running out of mana would normally disallow a player to cast spells but in this game we have a system in placed called mana burn. When a player uses a skill that requires more mana than they have a mana burn will take place. This causes your spell to take whatever cost it’s missing from your mana with your health instead. Very dangerous to inflict mana burn as the lasting effect is a drop in magical potency of your magic for a certain length of time. For stamina points when that hits zero you will be encumbered and players will feel symptoms like fatigue and paralysis depending on how much stamina was consumed and their levels of hunger and rest.”

“I think I get it. So SP at zero is to mimic muscle exhaustion in a way and having to eat and rest in the game also makes it seem real. That’s good to know.” Akaro nodded as he said this.

“The time in game is different from regular time in your world. One hour of your time is equivalent to seven days in the game. This device is able to manipulate your mind’s sense of time and it will actually feel as if seven days have passed to you. Be advised once you do leave the game it will mostly be a couple of hours. Game time will continue while you are not playing so it is advised to have any companions or pets be taken care of by fellow players or NPC’s that are willing to take care of them for you.”

“NPC’s?” Akaro asked as he didn’t understand that concept.

“Non-player characters. I am an NPC who mainly focuses on teaching you about our game. You will come across many NPCs in the game but they will not know that this is a game. This is our world after all and you are just joining it with your character. There are only three NPCs that know it is a game and I am one of them. The other is the mother of all AI who creates other NPCs whenever one  is needed and also sets the rules for any skills or classes learned. The last one is in charge of network security and will prevent any hackers from entering the game.”

‘Hackers?… I don’t understand. But I’ll just nod my head.’

“The next topic we will go over are stats. Stats can increase a player’s effectiveness in battle and also out of battle as well. The basic stats that all species have are strength, vitality, intelligence, wisdom, agility, dexterity, endurance, perseverance, spirit, focus, tenacity, toughness, luck, and charisma. Each stat will affect certain aspects for the player’s daily life in the game. Strength increases damage for physical attacks, vitality increases health points, intelligence increases damage for magic based attacks, wisdom increases the amount of mana or faith points, agility increases movement speed and evasion, dexterity increases accuracy and critical hit chance, endurance increases stamina points, perseverance decreases stamina point consumption, spirit increases effectiveness of faith based abilities and health regeneration, focus increases mana regeneration, tenacity increases stamina regeneration, toughness increases defense, luck increases critical hits and rare item drops, and lastly charisma increases the chance to gather and lead allies. There are other stats that can be gained through special means but I cannot tell you how to obtain them.”

This was a bit more detailed compared to the game he played on the super famicom but he listened and tried to understand to the best of his ability.

“Stats are increased by many factors. The easiest way to gain more stats is to grow in level. This requires experience points which is indicated to the bar on the bottom left. Once you have enough experienced points to get to the end of the bar, a level up will ensue and you will have all your stats go up by five automatically. Then you will also gain ten bonus stat points to add to your stats to increase any number of them. Another method is through a more unorthodox method. Gaining titles and gaining fame can also give you bonus stats to allocate as you wish. The third method is a bit harder to do and requires discipline. Certain stats can grow based on the repetitive activity for example if you continue to sprint from one wall to another continuously you may increase your agility. I say may as it is also dependent on how strenuous the action took. If you already increased the stat from going wall to wall then the next step would be to increase the distance of your sprint to fully utilize growth. Similarly those who seek to be mages will practice spell usage and reading magic related literature can increase their magic attributes.” Gaia seemed to have taken a bit of a breath as she just divulged a huge amount of explanations.

“So if I train in the game I can be rewarded with stats that can increase attributes I have.” Akaro smiled at the statement he made.

The third type of stat gaining seemed the most logical to him as he had already disciplined himself in the real world to train. With the added time bonus of the world it seemed like he could train even more diligently.

“Another method of gaining stats is directly related to the classes you obtain. Certain classes give special attributes upon level up bonus increases. For example mages would get increased intelligence, wisdom and focus upon level up as those are the three main stats that will affect a mages combat capabilities. All players can have two different classes. One as the main class and the other as the support class. This can be two different combat classes, or even two crafting classes. Regardless of which two you choose originally, players are allowed to change the class at the cost of any bonus stats given by that class  and any skills learned to be forgotten. Most players will choose their classes carefully as to not waist time and effort on their proficiency with a class. Proficiency for the class skills will be determined by the number of use the abilities have undergone. All classes have a heroic level where they can gain a skill that is incredibly powerful regardless of the class chosen. Obtaining that level will certain prerequisites to be completed first. Classes can be obtained through the guild and job class building that is found in all settlements for all races. Also they can be obtained during specific quests.”

“Is there a ninja type class?” Akaro asked hoping.

“In this game ninja’s are also a class available. To obtained this class you must perform certain prerequisites as it is not a class that can be learned at the guild and job class building.” Gaia quickly answered before continuing.

“So I will need to find the method then I can get that class.” Akaro said to himself aloud.

What he didn’t know he could do was look up the message boards at the online forums for the game to inquire about that information but his actual online experience could be counted by his fingers and he was not one to care about the internet.

“There are several windows a player can access by simply thinking the keyword for it. These keywords are equipment, items, skills, abilities and status. There are many more depending on the things you do and classes you get. It is suggested to once you are in the game to try calling out these windows to see it first hand. Storage for your items is depended on the clothing you wear and what bags or storage devices you have. There is a set limit so be careful on keeping your bags too full with items.” Gaia started to finish up her explanation.

‘So I have to make sure I keep in mind how many items I have as well. This already feels like real life to me.’

“The last aspect that players need to understand that this world is completely a free world. Non-player characters like myself also have the freedom to choose and will react like most people would in your world. This freedom is now for you to decide. Will you learn how to fight and use it for good or perhaps for evil? Will you gain knowledge and become one of the greatest magic wielders? Will you choose the path that brings you the most wealth or fame? This is a decision that you can only make as you play the game. I hope you enjoy your time in Edesia.”

“I believe I will.” Akaro replied.

“Being part of the human race you can only start in a human city or settlement. Which city will you choose?” Gaia then brought up a map and the flashing portion of the map showed the human territory. 

It was on the west side of the main continent and it had three gates leading to other territories. The northern gate led to the dwarven territory and the south led to the elven territory. The east gate led to the Central City that was in the middle of the continent and was the main hub for all races regardless of the ones they chose. To the west of this city many little towns and villages and then the city he was looking for. Closer to the western coast Four Swords City can be found.

Akaro chose the city his mother told him to go to.

“May the six bless you on your journey. Hope we will meet again.” Gaia winked as Akaro’s vision turned a blinding white.